Rules Updates - Effective for December

Below are a number of seemingly random rules updates and clarifications.  They will be updated into the Online Rulebook as time allows.

Rules Updates:

1) Packet Archery has been removed from the game.  Sadly, Psions remain, see below...

4) Psion clarifications:
-During the five or ten second concentration time before an attack, defense or discipline is delivered, a psion cannot fight or defend with weapons, use skills, or perform other manual actions, and can only move about at a walking pace.
-A Psion can dispel her own effects after 10 seconds of concentration.  After the 10 seconds has passed, the Psion must say “Dispell <psionic effect name>”.
-Psions cannot paralyze themselves.  This ability specifically states the “opponent”.

3) Clarification: Direct Body Damage does bypass AP, Soaks, and Thresholds

4) Players may no longer touch cast offensive spells or spells that harm or negatively affect other characters in combat. 

5) The description of Warrior Monk has been altered to be clear that they can wear Armor if they want:
These monks are those who choose a path of physical and mental discipline. They believe that their body is a weapon and must be trained as such. Believers in meditation and contemplation, warrior monks are a spiritual people. They spend most of their days putting their body through constant physical testing and can often be found spending evenings in quiet meditation. They have taken martial arts to the pinnacle of ability. There are many secrets to the spiritual fighting technique of martial arts and the monks have uncovered many of them. These monks are deadly in combat, and usually wear no armor. This is because they train their body to sustain more damage then is normally possible.
6) The skill Trip on the Dragoon list no longer has Pole Arm as a pre-req.

7) A maximum of two higher list skills can be learned at any given event.  A character may learn two uses of skills already known, or one new skill and one previously known skill.

The definition of Yado has been changed to: “This skill allows the character to block any one non-surprise thrown weapon or missile attack, such as arrows or javelins. This skill is not hand specific.”

9) When inside an inertial barrier, or other “bubble” effect, players should call “no effect” when hit by an attack if the attack does not penetrate barrier/bubble/effect.

10) Create Tome has been revised to the following:

“This skill allows a character to create Tomes. A Tome can contain non-combat skills (defined as weapon-use, attack, or defense skills) from one (and only one) of the Scholar, Physician, Smith or Alchemist profession lists, which the character must know - or she must be able to interview someone who does know them. A character can have a maximum of two Tomes in progress at any time.  A skill entry in a tome can contain multiple skills of the same track, such as Herbal Recipes, Metalsmithing abilities or Trauma path Physician abilities. Each skill or skill track that is being added to a Tome requires two events of work, and the expenditure (after completing work) of 5gp for materials. You must role-play preparing the Tome for at least thirty minutes at each event, including an additional ten minutes at each event interviewing someone who knows the skill(s) being written if you do not. At the end of the second event, you will be given an item card for the Tome, with the skill(s) now contained in its pages, or you will have an existing Tome item card updated to reflect the latest skill(s) added to its contents. The character is not required, but may choose to learn the skill(s) as a result of producing the Tome, assuming she is logistically able to learn it.”

11) Falling damage is now codified:

upto 10' : 3 Direct Body
11-20' : 9 Direct Body, 1 broken limb (player choice)
21-30' : 27 Direct Body, 2 broken limbs (player choice)
31-40' : 81 Direct Body, 3 broken limbs (player choice)
41-50' : 243 Direct Body, 4 broken limbs
51+ : 4 Broken Limbs and go directly to Crit Stage.

Luck will either prevent you from falling or it will remove 10 feet from the total for the purpose of damage calculation.  Resist, Stoneskin, Barkskin, and Resilience will remove 10 feet from the total distance fallen.  Only one defense may be called per fall.

12) Featherfall is redefined as:

“This spell allows a character to fall a distance of up to fifty feet without being harmed. If the character falls further than fifty feet, the damage inflicted by the fall is calculated from the point at which she was no longer protected by this spell.”

13) The skill Spear, Throwing is renamed to Javelin.  A Javelin minimum length is 42” and its maximum is 60”.  Javelins must be coreless and have a thrusting tip on both ends.

Does this mean you cannot also cast flesh to stone or blink on yourself?  They both indicate "opponent" or "another being" in the description of the spell as well.

-andy

correct on flesh to stone, incorrect on blink.

<<7) A maximum of two higher list skills can be learned at any given event.  A character may learn two uses of skills already known, or one new skill and one previously known skill.>>

May a character learn the same skill two times?

Charlie, yes, assuming you already know it.

To clarify on the Bubble / No Effect ruling - the reason for this is that Inertial Barrier had the word "deflect" in its wording, which is a specific skill name.  (This is similar to the word "parry" appearing in the old description for Yado.)  As a result, people in a bubble defense would often call "Deflect" when hit with an attack, which implies the same result as the tag skill Deflect - that you just used up the skill you called - as opposed to hitting a shield, weapon, etc., where you keep the skill because you did not connect.  This ruling clarifies that you keep any tag skills you use if you use them on someone in such a defense.

What about as RP, such as touching someone by the fireplace or shaking hands and calling cause pain, will this have to be delivered by packet?
-Jay

10) Create Tome has been revised to the following:

“This skill allows a character to create Tomes.....  A skill entry in a tome can contain multiple skills of the same track, such as Herbal Recipes, Metalsmithing abilities or Trauma path Physician abilities.

Yay!  My 57 year old future self thanks you! (and is still proud btw)

These have all been updated in the online rulebook